What The Original Death Note Creators Really Think About The Netflix Remake

Netflix is about to become a very busy destination point for genre fans. Marvel TV has The Defenders uniting on screen for the first time in televised history on August 18. And on August 25, the streaming service brings horror master Adam Wingard's interpretation of the classic manga Death Note to the small screen for a chilling adaptation. Death Note has an insanely loyal fanbase who have been waiting to see how close to the source Wingard's story would stay. This will ease their minds a tad. Original Death Note writer and illustrator -- Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata, respectively -- released statements on the remake, which Netflix shared with CinemaBlend exclusively. They read, as such. First, here's illustrator Takeshi Obata:

Thanks to the beautiful imagery and the thrilling direction by Adam Wingard, the movie is magnificent A-level thriller masterpiece. The characters are all faithful to satisfying their desires. I've always wanted to write a Death Note like this, as well. Through Netflix, it will reach a global audience, so I hope that the people around the world who didn't know about Death Note will get a chance to discover and enjoy it.

Following up on this endorsement, Death Note original writer Tsugumi Oba shares:

It exceeded my expectations. There was high level of quality, sophistication, and attention to every detail. This is what a Hollywood Death Note movie should be. Personally, I was engrossed with the ending! In a good way, it both followed and diverged from the original work so the film can be enjoyed, of course by not only the fans, but also by a much larger and wider audience.

We have been tracking the progress of Death Note from the earliest days, even being lucky enough to visit the set and watch Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest) work with Nat Wolff and Margaret Qualley as they bring this story to life. In Death Note, a high schooler is entrusted with a mystical book that instantly kills anyone whose name is written on the pages. Wingard talked in depth with us about how he's bringing the story's demon spirit, Ryuk, to life using Willem Dafoe as the voice. And we talked about the dynamic between Nat Wolff's character, Light, and the detective tasked with stopping him. You can see that interplay in this exclusive clip, shared by Netflix with CinemaBlend:

We're excited to see how a Western version of Death Note can play out. Lakeith Stanfield looks intense as L, the irregular investigator hellbent on stopping Light and Mia. And Willem Dafoe is a perfect choice to play Ryuk. I hope this is the start of something new and exciting at Netflix... a series of Death Note stories pulled from the manga source.

The movie came to San Diego Comic-Con this summer, and on the way out of its presentation, fans were handed posters from the film. We have that poster on the next page, so check it out. Death Note hits Netflix on Friday, August 25. Our Netflix Schedule also runs down the entire lineup of Netflix launches, so give that a visit as well.